


Rolling Hills of Green

by PsychVamp



Series: AxG week 2020 [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, axg week 2020, enjoying the end of winter, no mad queen Dany, the Starks are Together in Winterfell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25672999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychVamp/pseuds/PsychVamp
Summary: For the first prompt of AxG Week 2020: The Return of SpringThe snows have melted and Arya has an idea to introduce the new generation of House Stark to the green that has replaced the white
Relationships: Arya Stark/Gendry Waters, Jon Snow/Val, Podrick Payne/Sansa Stark
Series: AxG week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1861555
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93





	Rolling Hills of Green

The snows seemed to have melted overnight, that was Arya’s first thought when she looked out her chamber window that morning. She knew it had been slowly melting for weeks, the warming sun finally pushing through the mountains of snow. The hills even seemed green today, she smiled, and knew exactly what the day was going to bring. She crawled back into the bed and placed a kiss to her husband’s cheek.

He let out a low groan and opened his blue eyes, “Morning already m’lady?”

“Aye.” She answered and smirked at him, “I have a thought for today.”

He eyed her carefully, “Do I need to be concerned?”

She shook her head, “The snow has fully melted from the hills, I think we should introduce the children to grass. All they know is snow.”

“I like that idea.” Gendry replied and pulled her closer, “It is far too early for such things though, I have a better idea for this morning.”

She laughed as she straddled his naked body, “This is the only idea you ever have.”

He shrugged, “That idea has given us two beautiful children.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, “Want to have a third?”

“Whenever you are ready, I shall be too.” He said, his hands running over her hips, and she could confess he was right. It was far too early to get the children up, they could enjoy time to themselves first.

* * *

Convincing her siblings to take their children out to the grassy hills was not difficult at all she found. They both loved the idea of sharing something other than snow with their children and enjoying it for themselves as well, seven years was a long winter for everyone. Arya carefully loaded up a small wagon with things for a meal on the grass and blankets to lay down for them to sit on if they didn’t want to sit in what was sure to be a damp ground. 

She had just finished putting everything in place when she felt something collide with her legs. She smiled as she looked down, the bright blue eyes of her three year old daughter looking up at her, “Papa said we are going on an adventure!”

“That we are my sweet.” She said and picked her up, “You ready?”

Lyara nodded, “I am brave Mama.”

Arya kissed her daughter on the nose, “That you are.” She placed her down in the back of the wagon, “Where is your brother?”

“With Papa.” She said as she wrapped herself up in a blanket and patted the spot next to her, “Cat sit here with me.”

Arya laughed, “She will, once your Auntie Sansa brings her down.”

Lyara smiled and looked around the courtyard, looking for her cousin with interest. Arya shook her head, the two were born only a few months apart and they were practically inseparable. They were the sisters that she was sure her mother had always hoped that Sansa and Arya would have been.

“Aunt Arya, I am here.” Robb said, climbing into the wagon before she even really registered that he was there. He looked like a Stark with the brown hair and grey eyes, making Arya think of her father each time she looked at him.

“Where is your father?” She asked, trusting the five year old to settle himself into the wagon just fine.

“Helping Mama with Lyanna.” He said and frowned when Lyara pushed him away saying, “Cat sits here.”

The young boy stuck his tongue out at his cousin but moved over all the same.

“I see you’ve collected a few of the pups already.” Sansa said, walking over with her daughter in her arms, her belly just started to show with the babe in her belly.

“They just appear as if out of nowhere.” Arya joked as Sansa placed Cat down and she rushed to Lyara’s side.

Sansa nodded as she rubbed her stomach, “If only that was true.”

Arya laughed and then looked around, “Where might our husbands be?”

“I left mine with yours over by the forge, I have no idea what they are doing.” Sansa replied and pulled herself up into the front seat of the wagon, “I see you were left with hitching everything up.”

Arya shrugged, “It was no hardship. I had the hands saddle a few horses as well. If they don’t show up soon, we can just get started without them.”

“You were not going to leave without me I hope.” Val shouted at them, her blonde hair braided down her back, while she had her and Jon’s seven month old son in her arms.

“Of course not.” Arya confirmed as Val got into the back with the children.

Arya pulled herself up next to her sister before looking at her good-sister, “How long should we wait until we leave the men behind?”

Val laughed, “I would normally say let's go but I can see them walking up now.”

Arya turned and sure enough, the three men and her son were walking toward them. She shouted, “Get a move on will you!”

Ned rushed forward and jumped up into the back of the wagon, joining his aunt and cousins, “Mama, Papa was showing me something in the forge.”

“That does not surprise me. What was it?”

Ned shook his head, his black curls bouncing as he did, “It is a surprise for your nameday, can’t tell you.”

Arya sighed and shook her head as well.

“Don’t worry m’lady, it is a good surprise.” Gendry said as he secured the back panel of the wagon. 

Jon and Podrick had already mounted their horses and a stable boy was holding onto the reins for Gendry’s horse.

She looked him over, “It better me.” She replied and then flicked the reigns, her mules pulling the wagon forward and then out the Northern gate.

They rode in silence for a while before she heard Cat, “Aunt Val, why is everything so green?”

Val laughed, “The snow has melted and the grass is coming back. Do you not like it?”

“It is weird.” Cat replied. 

Arya looked at her sister, who was trying to hold back her own laughter if her demeanor was anything to go by. Arya spoke loudly so they could hear her over the sound of the wagon, “The long winter is over children, now we get to embrace the return of spring and everything that comes with it.”

“What sorts of things Mama?” Ned asked, as the oldest of the Stark children, he had taken it upon himself to be the leader of the little pack.

“Well, it will be warmer now for one thing. We can go swimming in the lake. Fishing. Take a boat down the White Knife.” Arya listed off, trying to think of more things.

“We could do daily rides outside the walls, now that the land is no longer covered in snow and ice.” Val replied.

“There might even be visitors from the South coming, we can have feasts and balls.” Sansa supplied, and Arya had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“Might the Queen come visit us with her dragons?” Robb asked, his grey eyes big and wide with curiosity.

“Perhaps, or we could go to King’s Landing and visit her.” Sansa replied, even though Arya knew that if Sansa had her way, she would never see King’s Landing again.

“Adventure!” Lyara shouted and the chorus was soon picked up by the other children.

Arya rolled the wagon to a stop at the top of a gentle sloping hill, perfect for what she had in mind. She tied off the reins and locked the wheels before saying, “Here we are!”

The kids all stood up, looking around at the empty landscape, Winterfell still very much in range. Ned frowned, “We came out to see the hills?”

Jon jumped off his horse and unhitched the back panel, “Come on you lot, you’ll see what we have in mind in a moment.”

The kids all followed his command, Robb and Ned helping the girls jump down safely. It made Arya smile to see, even at a young age, they cared so much for each other. Val simply moved to the edge and dangled her feet over, the sleeping babe at her chest not making a sound. Jon leaned forward and gave his wife a quick kiss before going over to the children. After tying off the horses, Podrick helped Sansa down, his hand remaining on her lower back as they stood there. Arya jumped down on her own and went to join the children, her brother, and husband nearby.

“Mama, what we doing?” Lyara asked as she joined them.

Arya smiled at her daughter, “We have come to enjoy spring! Your uncles and I would do this all the time when we were your age.”

“Do what?” Cat asked.

Arya nodded at Jon and they both got on their knees. Arya then got on her side, smiled at them all, and then Jon gave her a big push, causing her to start rolling down the hill. She came to a gentle stop at the bottom, having picked this hill for that reason and that there were no large rocks or trees to hit.

The children jumped up, demanding their own turn. That was how Arya ended up being the catcher as the men pushed the children down the hill. Only for them to reach the end and run back up, demanding for another go. They spent what seemed hours doing that, eventually the children convinced their fathers to do it too. Val eventually passed the baby to Sansa and gave into the pressure as well. Sansa refused, stating that the babe in her belly would not make it an enjoyable time for her.

The children eventually grew tired, running up the hill began weighing on them, and everyone spread out on the blankets Arya had brought. They had a small meal while they all caught their breath, the children all slowly falling to sleep. Arya smiled at the sight, her family had once seemed on the brink of dying out, but as she looked at the children they had created while she was held firmly in her husband's arms, she knew that the Stark family had a bright future ahead.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be shy, let me know what you think!!


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